My wife and I will be headed to D.C. at the end of this month for a much needed vacation! I am sure there must be tons of great places to eat and drink down there, but I simply don't know where to start! The only places we've decided on so far is the Bier Baron (previously Brickskeller) and the Dogfish Head brewpub in Fairfax, VA. (It's only 15 minutes from our hotel in Manasses, woo!)

Over memorial day weekend we will be visiting the DFH brewery in Milton, DE. We'll certainly be going to the brewpub in Rehobeth Beach, but I don't know that I'll want to go there for 2 meals a day for 3 days straight!

Any further recommendations would be greatly appreciated, this will be my first time in the D.C. area since I was 14 so I really don't know much about it!

I'm not sure how far you're willing to travel but there's Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA. Philly has some great beer bars like Monks, Dock Street, Yards and Nodding Head to name a few. In Wilmington, DE there's the famous Iron Hill Brewery which has great beer and food....highly recommended. You could also hit Baltimore which has Clipper City and Max's for a start.

Fins Raw Bar in Rehoboth is a cool place with great food (if you like seafood). Definitely have some Evolution beer while you're on the Eastern Shore as well.

In DC there's RFD, ChurchKey, and the other usual suspects you'll find highly rated on Beer Advocate... they have good beer, but you're going to pay for it. If you do come up to Baltimore, you have to hit Max's, which is up to something like 120 taps now and has reasonable prices for such great stuff. For brewpubs there's Brewer's Art and Pratt St. Ale House (although I'd avoid Pratt Street if there's a baseball game).

In DC there's RFD, ChurchKey, and the other usual suspects you'll find highly rated on Beer Advocate... they have good beer, but you're going to pay for it.

Churchkey is well worth a visit, but get there early. I love that they have 4oz pours and 4-5 cask ales. I went there for lunch when I was in DC for a conference and was able to try 3 beers and still function during my afternoon meetings

As for Manassas itself, pretty slim pickings... Old Town has Okra's with great Cajun food and Abita on tap, Philadelphia Tavern has good cheesesteaks and Sierra Nevada on tap, and Mackey's has good pub grub and Guiness, Newcastle, and Sam Adams Seasonal (should be the Summer Ale here pretty soon). Believe it or not, the best craft selection in town is probably at Hard Times even though it is a chain.

And, of course, the best beer in all of Manassas is found in my basement

It's been about 15 years or more since I've been to either place, but I liked Ireland's Four Provinces and The Big Hunt. No idea what they're like now. If you're near the zoo it might be worth stopping in.

I'm not sure how far you're willing to travel but there's Victory Brewing in Downingtown, PA. Philly has some great beer bars like Monks, Dock Street, Yards and Nodding Head to name a few. In Wilmington, DE there's the famous Iron Hill Brewery which has great beer and food....highly recommended. You could also hit Baltimore which has Clipper City and Max's for a start.

My best man actually lives in Philly so we've been there a few times on visits. We havn't hit Victory, yet. It's a shame really, they make some of my favorite beers! That'll be on the menu for next time.

Thanks for all the other tips folks! Hokerer, if you're inclined to meet another internet creeper IRL I'm sure my wife and I would like to partake in some homebrew! We'll be bringing a small supply with us to share with the DFH crew and I'm sure I could spare a bottle or two.

If your going to be in Delaware I would go to the original Dogfish head pub (320 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971) rather then there small chain ones. The original is where they do test batches and it has much more atmosphere in my opinion. Also if you get into DC i really enjoyed the beers at Capitol City. My fav was the Kolsch. Its the best taste of the style i had since i went to Germany 6 years ago.

If your going to be in Delaware I would go to the original Dogfish head pub (320 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971) rather then there small chain ones. The original is where they do test batches and it has much more atmosphere in my opinion. Also if you get into DC i really enjoyed the beers at Capitol City. My fav was the Kolsch. Its the best taste of the style i had since i went to Germany 6 years ago.

MattGISBREWMASTER

We're doing both. We're going to the chain alehouse in Fairfax, VA while we're in the D.C. area, it's 15 minutes from our hotel. When we get to DE we'll be going to the brewpub in Rehobeth Beach several times. We are signed up for the DFH 360 experience, it's a joint tour package with DFH and The Inn at Canal Square in Lewes. It includes, amongst other things, a boat ride to the brewpub in the SS Dogfish (a dinghy) and a free cab ride back to the hotel, plus a $50 gift card for the brewpub/gift shop. It's a pretty damn cool package, if a bit pricey. We got the first one of the season!

If your going to be in Delaware I would go to the original Dogfish head pub (320 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971) rather then there small chain ones. The original is where they do test batches and it has much more atmosphere in my opinion. Also if you get into DC i really enjoyed the beers at Capitol City. My fav was the Kolsch. Its the best taste of the style i had since i went to Germany 6 years ago.

MattGISBREWMASTER

+1

I always look forward to going. In fact we hold our LHBC meetings there. I'll be there tomorrow night asking for the latest creation on tap.

Thanks for all the other tips folks! Hokerer, if you're inclined to meet another internet creeper IRL I'm sure my wife and I would like to partake in some homebrew! We'll be bringing a small supply with us to share with the DFH crew and I'm sure I could spare a bottle or two.

Don't know what schedules will be like by then but meeting up could certainly be a possibility.

Don't listen to anybody that advises you to eat Grotto Pizza whilst in DE. I lived there for 5 years and still couldn't figure it out.

On rehoboth beach, there is a great small fish-n-chips place. I think it's called the london underground, but I'm not 100% certain about that. In addition to fantastic fish and chips, they have a battered, deep-fried sausage that's to die for.